The MCC said the problem had been resolved by quarter-time and all fans were inside the ground.

The AFL has put a significant focus on 'fan experience' in the past 18 months and apologised to fans who were inconvenienced by the previous Ticketek system failure.

The AFL was not in a position to provide an update on the ticketing breakdown when contacted by AFL.com.au late on Thursday night but was preparing to meet with the relevant parties on Friday to resolve the issue.

AFL.com.au has contacted Ticketek for comment.

However, Ticketek apologised directly to several customers who complained on Twitter about the difficulties in entering the MCG on Friday night.

@FeeoMatt Hi there, our apologies for the inconvenience. Please make your way to the box office to have tickets reissued.